Season 3 Episode 1

Welcome to She They Us a podcast about making room in housing for women and gender-diverse people, brought to you by the Pan-Canadian Voice for Women’s Housing.

In this first episode of Season 3, host Andrea Reimer welcomes listeners back and in conversation with producer Linda Rourke introduces a new direction for the series. Over the past two seasons, we’ve been talking about how to fix housing so it works for women and gender-diverse people — but what if the system is working exactly as it was designed to? This season, we explore the deep history of housing for women and gender-diverse people in Canada through cultural and historical lenses.

This episode begins at the beginning: the experiences of First Nations women and how colonization, land displacement, and restrictive legislation continue to shape their access to safe and secure housing.

We travel to Manitoulin Island to meet Marie McGregor Pitawanakwat, an Anishinaabe kwe and Chair of the National Indigenous Women’s Housing Network, who opens up about her own experience of being evicted from her homeland and what it took to fight for her housing rights. She talks about the limits created by the Indian Act, the lack and decline of safe housing on reserves, and how First Nations women are often the ones pushed out first when resources are scarce.

Marie also shares her personal path toward finding safe housing again, what “home” means through Anishinaabe teachings, and why she’s committed to helping Indigenous communities return to building homes with natural, traditional materials.

Marie’s resilience, wisdom, and clarity provide a powerful starting point for the season.

In the next episode, we continue exploring the housing experiences of Indigenous women and gender-diverse people, from the perspective of the over 80% of Indigenous people in Canada who no longer live on their homelands. .

Guest: Marie McGregor Pitawanakwat, Chair National Indigenous Women’s Housing Network

Music: A special thank you to Reid Jamieson and CVM for providing some of the music throughout the episode. www.reidjamieson.com

Your host, Andrea Reimer, is a housing advocate, educator, and former Vancouver City Councillor who’s experienced homelessness firsthand. Since 2019, she has been an Adjunct Professor at the University of British Columbia’s School of Public Policy and Global Affairs. Andrea has spent her career at the intersection of power, policy, and courage to catalyze transformative change and here, she brings that passion to the stories of women and gender-diverse people, and housing across Canada.

In the Season 3 opener of She.They.Us., host Andrea Reimer is joined by producer Linda Rourke, who pulls back the curtain on how this season came together. We then travel to Manitoulin Island to meet Marie McGregor Pitawanakwat, an Anishinaabe kwe and head of the National Indigenous Women’s Housing Network. Marie shares her deeply personal journey — from being evicted from her family home on reserve to fighting through multiple levels of court, only to be ordered off her own homeland. This is not a story of despair. Marie invites us to imagine something different: Indigenous women and gender-diverse people reclaiming their role as home-builders.

Guest Bio

Marie McGregor Pitawanakwat is an Anishinaabe kwe originally from Whitefish River First Nation and now a member of Wikwemikong on Manitoulin Island. She serves as the Chair of the National Indigenous Women’s Housing Network, where she advocates for the rights, safety, and housing security of Indigenous women, Two-Spirit, and gender-diverse people. Drawing from her own lived experience of being evicted from her family home on reserve and navigating multiple court systems to defend her right to remain on her homeland, Marie brings a powerful blend of leadership, humility, and vision. Her work centers Indigenous self-determination, community-led housing solutions, and the reclamation of traditional building knowledge.

Resources & Ways to Get Involved

• Learn more about the Pan-Canadian Voice for Women’s Housing: pcvwh.ca
• Follow and tag us on social media: @voice4housing
• Share this episode to help amplify First Nations women’s leadership in housing justice
• Support the work of the National Indigenous Women’s Housing Network - https://womenshomelessness.ca/nihn/
• Interested in sharing your own story or building your advocacy skills? Explore PCVWH’s training programs for women and gender-diverse people: pcvwh.ca/training
• Whether you have lived experience of the housing crisis or stand alongside those who do, your voice matters — join a local housing advocacy group, speak at a council meeting, or connect with your MP or MLA to push for change. We have tools and resources that can help

Social Media

• PCVWH - @voice4housing
• National Indigenous Women’s Housing Network - @womenshomelessnessca
• Marie - Facebook only

Credits

Produced in collaboration with Everything Podcasts.
Host: Andrea Reimer
Producer & Writer: Linda Rourke
Sound Engineer: Jordan Wong
Senior Account Director: Lisa Bishop
Executive Producer: Jennifer Smith
Project Partner: Ange Valentini, Strategic Impact Collective
Project Coordinator: Monica Deng, Pan-Canadian Voice for Housing

Music: A special thank you to Reid Jamieson and CVM for providing some of the music throughout the episode. www.reidjamieson.com

#podcast #housing